What's new, and what's back, for the Tokyo Olympics

SURFING

When: July 24-27, Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, Ichinomiya

The format: Few sports embrace the elements as much as surfing, which will take place off of Tsurigasaki Beach in the Pacific Ocean, where the weather and ocean tides will create an ever-evolving course. There are two types of boards typically used for surfing, long and short, and shortboards will be used at the Tokyo Games. A technical director will oversee the opening heats, where for 30 minutes groups of five surfers will catch waves and be judged on their degree of difficulty, innovation and progression of moves, and power, speed and flow. Scoring will be based on a judge's viewpoint over aesthetic and athletic merits, but there is no set scoring system that riders must follow. During heats, one key element to watch for is that the surfer who is closest to the peak of any given wave — meaning the steepest point of the wave — has right of way and priority for riding that wave. Surfers will be judged by their two highest scoring waves during each heat.

The field: John John Florence is one of the best young surfers America has ever produced, but his health remains a key question. Florence, 28, won World Surf League men's championships in 2016 and 2017 before suffering a torn ACL that limited his ability to compete in 2018 and 2019. Brazil has two of the top men in the world in Gabriel Medina (who won the WSL men's title in 2019) and Italo Ferreira (who won in 2018).

On the women's side, the competition could come down to two icons, Carissa Moore of the United States and Stephanie Gilmore of Australia. Moore has won the WSL women's title four times, including the most recent championship in 2019. Gilmore has won it seven times, including four straight years from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2018.

The future: Surfing has been considered as a potential Olympic event for decades. Still, the sport does often need a certain natural aquatic element to operate, namely ocean waves. How that works at future landlocked Games remains to be seen. Surfing was approved for the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Tahiti as the proposed site.

SKATEBOARDING

When: July 24-25 (street), Aug. 3-4 (park), Ariake Urban Sports Park, Tokyo

The format: The sport of the counterculture comes to the Olympics, with both street and park events for men and women joining the Games. Street skating is a course set up as if a skater were navigating through a city street looking for natural objects — curbs, handrails, stairs, walls — to perform tricks on, while park skating is a course designed like a skatepark with a layout specifically attuned to skateboarding that features more curves and a bowl-shaped element where skaters can exit the park vertically and then drop back in.

The field: Each competing country will send 16 total skaters — four men and four women for each event. If there is a singular skateboarding star heading to the Games, it's Nyjah Huston. The American street skater is one of the most accomplished competition skaters in the sport's history. And Minnesotans may remember him from winning street gold at the Summer X Games in Minneapolis in 2018 and taking silver in 2019, though he did win gold for best street trick. Brighton Zeuner, who is on the U.S. women's park team, should also be familiar to skateboarding fans in Minnesota. She won gold in park at the 2017 and 2018 X Games in Minneapolis.

The future: It's already provisionally approved for the 2024 Paris Games, and it's hard to imagine that a sport with cultural appeal to young athletes around the world would exit the Olympics anytime soon.

3x3 BASKETBALL

When: July 23-28, Aomi Urban Sports Park, Tokyo

The format: Score one for the youth, or at least the Youth Olympic Games, which started hosting 3x3 basketball at the 2010 event in Singapore. This will be the first time a sport that originated with the youth games will premier in the Olympics. And while it may look like halfcourt basketball, there are some alterations. Shots behind the three-point line are worth two points, shots inside are worth one. Perhaps an even larger change comes in the smaller-sized ball. While the 3x3 ball weighs the same as standard 5x5 Olympic basketballs, they are a size smaller (6 compared to 7) and meant to make an extremely fast game even faster. The first team to 21 points or the leader after 10 minutes wins. If the score is tied, the game goes to overtime and the first team to score two points wins.

The field: While Team USA has dominated Olympic men's basketball for decades, its 3x3 team, which included former Gopher Joey King and former Wolves player Robbie Hummel, failed to make the eight-team field in Tokyo. On the women's side, the U.S. team is composed of WNBA standouts Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky), Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) and Katie Lou Samuelson (Seattle Storm), but they are ranked 16th in the world while France is the favorite after winning the FIBA European title in 2018 and 2019. Serbia is the men's gold medal favorite. It's led by Dusan Bulut, ranked as the No. 1 male player in the world by FIBA. "We're absolutely dominant. Anything apart from the first place would be considered a failure," he told the France 24 TV network.

The future: An international sport with fast pace, high energy and a youth movement is unlikely to go anywhere and is provisionally scheduled to be part of the 2024 games in Paris. The fact that 3x3 got its start at the Youth Olympic Games gives it a particularly strong likelihood of sticking around.

FREESTYLE BMX

When: July 30-31, Ariake Urban Sports Park, Tokyo

The format: While BMX racing has been an Olympic sport since the Beijing Games in 2008, this is the first year that freestyle BMX will be in competition. For many, freestyle BMX is instantly recognizable for its propulsive acrobatics. Riders are given two 60-second runs to perform high-flying tricks that are graded on a mixture of difficulty, originality and execution. Scores from the two runs are averaged out for a final score, and since riders going toward the end of the competition know what scores they have to beat, it can often lead to aggressive runs with more dynamic trick attempts.

The field: This is an exclusive field with only 18 total competitors, but perhaps most important for the world of BMX racing is the inclusion of female racers — who are still waiting for their sport to be recognized in official competition at the X Games. Indiana's Hannah Roberts figures to be one of the leading candidates for gold on the women's side; she has won three gold medals at the Urban World Championships.

For the men, Logan Martin of Australia is a favorite and the No. 1 ranked BMX freestyle park rider. Daniel Sandoval of Team USA — who finished in fourth place at X Games Minneapolis in 2019 — figures to push for a medal.

The future: BMX racing has already established itself at the Summer Games, and with the high energy and visual flair of freestyle, it seems unlikely that the sport is going anywhere now that it's in official competition. The larger question may be what having women freestyle riders at the Olympics does for the sport around the globe.

KARATE

When: Aug. 4-7, Nippon Budokan, Tokyo

The format: A martial art that originated on the Ryukyu Islands and was spread through Japan will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Karate will take place at the Nippon Budokan, considered the spiritual home of Japanese martial arts. Two different disciplines will be on display: kata (with male and female competition), and kumite (with three weight categories apiece for men and women). Kata will have competitors being judged off of their ability to showcase offensive and defensive moves against a virtual opponent with scores being based off of precisions and beauty of technique and movement. Kumite will have two karateka facing off on a matted area where strikes and blows will be scored over three minutes. A winner will be declared by higher point total, or if one competitor gains eight points more than their opponent at any point, the match is over. Ties and scoreless bouts go to the judges.

The field: Ten competitors in eight different events will bring a total of 80 karateka to the Tokyo Games. Ryo Kiyuna of Okinawa is widely considered the best male kata karateka, having won three gold medals at the World Karate Championships, which are held every two years. Serap Ozcelik of Turkey is currently the No. 1 ranked female kumite karateka in the 50 kg field. She won silver at the 2018 World Championships after claiming gold in 2014.

The future: Karate is not currently slated to be at the Paris Games in 2024.

SPORT CLIMBING

When: Aug. 3-6, Aomi Urban Sports Park, Tokyo

The format: Competitive climbing includes three disciplines: speed climbing, bouldering and lead climbing. The Olympic format will combine all three styles, with separate competitions for men and women.

Speed climbing features head-to-head competition, as athletes attempt to scale identical routes on a 12-meter wall faster than their opponent. In bouldering, athletes have four minutes to climb as many fixed routes as they can on a 4-meter wall. The object of lead climbing is to climb as high as possible on a 15-meter wall in a six-minute time frame.

Safety ropes are used in some disciplines, but no other equipment is allowed: climbers use only their bare hands and climbing shoes. The speed wall is identical to all racers, but in bouldering and lead climbing, the walls are reset with each round and climbers cannot study routes until the competition begins.

A climber's final score is determined by multiplying their placement in each of the three disciplines.The lowest score wins.

The field: In both the men's and women's events, a field of 20 athletes will compete in a qualification round, with the top six advancing to the final. Countries can have a maximum of two athletes per gender. Shoreview native Kyra Condie will represent the U.S. in the women's competition. Adam Ondra of the Czech Republic is considered the world's best rock climber, particularly in lead climbing and bouldering.

The future: Climbing made it into the 2020 Games through a new rule that allows the host country to add a few hand-picked sports. It has been provisionally approved to return for the 2024 Paris Games, where there would be two events each for men and women: speed climbing, and a combined lead/bouldering competition.

BASEBALL

When: July 27-Aug. 7, Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium, Yokohama Baseball Stadium

The format: Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan and was an easy decision for the host country to include as a temporary sport at the Tokyo Games. The history of baseball at the Olympics weaves back to 1904, but it has often been an exhibition or demonstration sport, though it was included for medal competition from 1996 to 2008. The tournament in Tokyo features only six teams: Japan, the United States, South Korea, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Israel. The 16-game tournament will have round-robin group play followed by double-elimination knockout rounds.

The field: Team USA will be managed by Mike Scioscia and feature a number of minor leaguers and former MLB stars like Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson and Todd Frazier. And while the Twins won't be represented by any current staff or players, former Twins first baseman Tyler Austin — who is currently playing for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan — is on the squad. Former Yankee pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is part of a Japanese team loaded with stars from Nippon Professional Baseball, the top league in the country.

The future: Baseball isn't currently planned for Paris in 2024. It may return to the Olympics in the future, particularly for the Los Angeles Games in 2028, but it seems unlikely that its status will ever solidify into anything more than an occasional appearance.

SOFTBALL

When: July 20-27, Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium, Yokohama Baseball Stadium

The format: Softball was an official Olympic event in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 — the same era when baseball was an official sport. But it's no surprise that Japan would want to add the event for their home games as Japan and the United States were instrumental in attempts to get softball into the Olympics, dating back to the 1940s. Seven of the 12 medals handed out for softball have gone to either the United States (three gold, one silver) or Japan (one gold, one silver, one bronze). Like in baseball, only six teams qualified: the U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, Italy and Mexico. Each team plays one game against the other five. The two teams with the best records after the opening round will play in the gold medal game.

The field: Expect Japan and the United States to once again battle for the gold medal. While the bulk of Team USA has never competed in the Olympics, given the 13-year layoff between competitions for softball, two veterans on the roster will be familiar to older fans: pitchers Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman. Rachel Garcia, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 out of UCLA, has a chance to be a breakout star at the Games.

The future: Like baseball, softball's future at the Olympics is uncertain, as is whether the two sports will always be tethered together.